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Archive for the ‘Heart Disease’ Category
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women, killing more than one in four people, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In Pinellas County from 2000-2006 more than 400 adults 35 and older died from heart disease.
From heart attacks to strokes, many of the risk factors are preventable and treatments are available if the person is aware he or she has heart disease.
“Now there’s a faster, more efficient tool for diagnosing heart disease,” Edward White Hospital’s Director of Diagnostic Imaging Tony Raiano said.
The new state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging technology is GE’s Vivid E9 Advanced Cardiac Ultrasound, and cardiologists at the St. Petersburg Hospital will soon be using it to screen patients. The ultrasound is a digital workstation built to capture 4-D images, which allows physicians to see movement inside the heart, including the valves and blood flow, in addition to 3-D views.
The technology is more advanced than a typical stress test, and less likely to get a false positive than many of the other echocardiogram machines currently being used across the country, Raiano added.
Cardiologists can also use the Vivid E to help diagnose peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects about eight million Americans. PAD is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries, most commonly in the pelvis and legs, and is similar to coronary artery disease.
The American Heart Association says many people mistake the symptoms— cramping, pain or tiredness in the leg or hip muscles while walking or climbing stairs— for something else leaving it often undiagnosed. People with PAD have a four or five times higher risk for stroke, and if left untreated it can lead to gangrene and amputation.
If any type of heart disease is detected during the cardiac ultrasound, a cardiologist will make a recommendation for treatment including the possibility of surgery.
For more information about Edward White’s Diagnostic Imaging Department, log onto our website at www.edwardwhitehospital.com or call 1-888-243-3627 for a physician referral.
Heart disease – also referred to as cardiovascular disease – is called a silent killer because there are no symptoms. Many people learn they have it only after they develop chest or head pain – or worse.
According to the American Heart Association, most instances of cardiovascular disease are related to atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of a fatty material called plaque in the arteries. Over time, atherosclerosis can narrow or completely block arteries that feed blood to the heart and brain. If a clot forms in these arteries, it can trigger a stroke or a heart attack.
Other forms of cardiovascular disease include heart failure, in which the heart is pumping but the body isn’t getting the oxygenated blood it needs; arrhythmia, a disorder characterized by the heart pumping too fast or too slowly; and stenosis, a condition where the heart’s valves do not close as they should, so blood doesn’t move through them properly.
Finding answers
The Heart and Vascular Care center at JFK has been diagnosing and treating heart disease for over 20 years. The following tests are among those used to identify cardiovascular disease:
- Electrocardiography: Also called ECG or EKG. Records the electric activity in the heart.
- Echocardiography: Uses ultrasound waves to create images of the heart’s structures, including chambers and valves.
- Holter monitor: This is a portable electrocardiograph machine worn by a patient over a 24-hour period. The patient takes notes about their general health and these are compared with the data collected by the machine.
- Stress testing: The most widely used heart screening procedure, the patient’s heart rate, blood pressure and breathing are monitored as they increase their speed on a treadmill.
- Cardiac catheterization: A thin plastic tube is threaded from a groin artery into the coronary arteries or the heart itself, and images are taken to confirm narrowing or blockage of the arteries.
JFK Medical Center also offers a non-invasive AngioScreen® ultrasound procedure that can identify narrowed or blocked arteries in the neck and legs, which increases a person’s risk of stroke. The screening is quick – about 15 minutes – and you may remain in your street clothes.
Heart treatment options
When diagnostic tests are completed and the results analyzed, the patient’s physician will determine a treatment plan. Depending on the patient’s condition, initial treatment may consist of diet and exercise adjustments, medication and monitoring.
However, if the patient’s cardiovascular disease is more advanced, a cardiologist will likely recommend cardiac catheterization to treat narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, or open heart surgery to correct defects.
Catheterization is the use of a thin plastic tube inserted into a groin artery and threaded into the coronary arteries or the heart itself.
This minimally-invasive procedure can be used as a diagnostic tool to find narrowed or blocked arteries. It can also be used to insert a stent (mesh tube) into narrowed and weakened coronary arteries to strengthen them; to remove clots; and to push arterial plaque back against the arteries using an inflatable balloon at the tip of the catheter.
Finding out you have cardiovascular disease can make you anxious. But the caring and skilled physicians, nurses and support staff at JFK Medical Center will help put you back on the road to good health.
If you would like a referral for a cardiologist, contact Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-888-256-7723, or visit JFK Medical Center online.
When a person has a heart attack, he or she often experiences crushing pain or pressure in their upper abdomen or chest and shortness of breath. However, some people have other symptoms, like nausea, sweating, or lightheadedness.
There are a several varieties of heart attack. The most dangerous is ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI. A STEMI occurs when blood flow to the heart is cut off because of a clot in an artery or in a chamber of the heart.
Speed is essential to treating STEMI, which is detected when the patient undergoes an EKG. If the blockage is not dissolved or removed quickly, a large area of heart muscle can die, causing complications, severe disability, or death.
Kendall Regional Medical Center has a STEMI team that is trained and equipped to handle these deadly heart attacks. In addition, the hospital is part of the Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue STEMI Network.
STEMI and D2B Time
Medical experts stress that in order to save a STEMI patient and preserve their quality of life, he or she must have blood flow re-established to their heart within 90 minutes of arriving in the emergency room.
At KRMC, the average STEMI time is 54 minutes.
The following are additional terms associated with treating a STEMI heart attack.
- tPA: a clot-busting drug that is effective if given within soon after a STEMI.
- Percutaneous coronary intervention: a procedure in which a thin plastic tube called a catheter is outfitted with an inflatable balloon, PCI is used to unblock a coronary artery.
- D2B: Door-to-balloon. KRMC participates in a nationwide initiative called the D2B Alliance, which is working to decrease the time between when a STEMI patient arrives at a participating hospital and he or she receives PCI.
The most common form of PCI is angioplasty. In this procedure, the catheter is threaded through the patient’s groin up to the coronary arteries. When the balloon is inflated, it compresses plaque buildup that has narrowed the coronary artery and restores blood flow.
KRMC Catheterization Laboratory
PCI is performed in our catheterization lab, which is staffed with physicians, nurses and technicians who are trained and available to care for STEMI heart attack patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not all hospitals have a cath lab and therefore, cannot treat STEMI patients.
But catheterization isn’t just used to treat heart attack. Because it is minimally invasive, it’s an excellent diagnostic tool that allows physicians to find coronary artery disease and blockages before a heart attack strikes.
If you or a family member, friend or co-worker exhibits the symptoms of a heart attack, call 911 immediately.
For more information about STEMI heart attacks, diagnostic heart catheterization, or to get a physician referral, contact Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-888-256-7723, or visit Kendall Regional Medical Center online.
Heart disease is the leading killer of men and women in our country. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 785,000 Americans had a first-time heart attack in 2009, and approximately 450,000 had a recurring attack.
Why heart attack happens
As people age, plaque – made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances in the blood – builds in our arteries. In some adults, plaque develops into a disease called atherosclerosis. This condition is not normally noticed by the person who has it until some arteries have hardened and narrowed significantly or a blockage occurs.
Coronary artery disease (CAD), also known as coronary heart disease, is the primary cause of heart attacks. Someone with CAD suffer pain in the location of the narrowed or blocked arteries. If the pain is in the chest region, it could indicate a heart attack. On the other hand, if the pain is in the legs or arms, it could be indicative of peripheral arterial disease (PAD). And if it’s in the neck, blood flow to the carotid arteries that feed the brain may be slowed.
There are several different kinds of heart attack. The most deadly is ST-elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI. This occurs when a clot creates a blockage in a coronary artery and interrupts blood flow to a section of the heart. If the blockage is not removed, the heart muscle can die, and serious disability or death may follow.
Haste is essential to treat a STEMI heart attack. Medical experts say that a STEMI patient should receive clot-busting medications and/or catheterization treatment no more than 90 minutes after arriving in the ER.
Detecting heart disease
There are a number of tests that can reveal CAD, PAD and atherosclerosis. Some of them are:
- Blood work – measures fat, sugar, proteins and cholesterol
- EKG – records the heart’s electrical activity
- Stress test – exercises the heart to measure its ability to pump
- Cardiac catheterization – threads a thin plastic tube into arteries to detect narrowing and blockage
Preventing heart attack
While some risk factors such as hereditary medical conditions can’t be helped, the following are controllable, allowing you to reduce your chances of having a first attack – or a second attack.
- Smoking: If you are a smoker, quit now. Also, try to avoid second-hand smoke.
- Obesity: Maintain a healthy weight, or drop pounds if you are seriously overweight.
- Blood pressure: If it’s too high, it can be brought down with weight loss and/or medications.
- Cholesterol: Get it checked! Bad cholesterol can be lowered with diet and/or medication.
- Alcohol: If you drink, do it in moderation (one drink a week for women, two for men).
- Diet: Reduce your intake of fat, salt and sugar; and increase your consumption of green vegetables and lean protein.
- Exercise: Physical activity helps manage weight and improves heart health.
If you have any questions about diagnosing and treating heart disease, or would like a physician’s referral, contact Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-442-2362, or visit Northwest Regional Medical Center online.
Some of the most innovative medical procedures being practiced today are benefitting people with cardiovascular disease. About 1.5 million Americans have a heart attack each year, and a half-million Americans die as a result.
While the earliest heart surgeries took hours and required lengthy recovery times, new medications and far less invasive techniques such as cardiac catheterization are now being used not only to fix heart conditions and defects, but also to find potential problems before they turn deadly.
Northwest Medical Center has a cardiac catheterization lab that is approved by the state of Florida to perform percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, a form of coronary angioplasty. This surgery can be done 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Evolving technology
The use of catheters, or thin plastic tubes, to diagnose and treat heart disease is not new. In fact, the practice dates back to the 1950s. But advances in cardiac catheterization and diagnostic imaging in recent years have made this minimally-invasive procedure even more effective.
With the U.S. population aging and a growing number of Americans who are overweight, there will be more and more people with coronary heart disease (CAD), which is one of the main risk factors for heart attack. A “cath exam” is an effective diagnostic tool to see if CAD is present, and also to look inside the heart chambers to see how well they are functioning.
A patient’s complaint of chest pain is what most often prompts a physician to order a cardiac catheterization, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. But other reasons include locating narrowed or blocked arteries, treating CAD, finding heart defects present since birth, and preparing for heart surgery.
How it works
A catheter is inserted into the patient via a leg or groin artery. It is threaded into their coronary arteries, which route blood to the heart; or into the heart itself. The pressure and oxygen content of the blood is measured. A dye can also be injected through the catheter that helps physicians see the location of narrowed or blocked arteries, or problems within the heart’s chambers.
With angioplasty, a small balloon inflated in the artery pushes the plaque back against from the artery walls. If needed, the surgeon can install a small mesh tube called a stent to prop up a weak segment of the arterial wall. Both of these procedures are done to increase blood flow to the heart.
Benefits of catheterization
This technology allows physicians to see how well a patient’s heart is pumping and the condition of the person’s coronary arteries and heart valves – information that cannot usually be obtained any other way.
Armed with this data, a doctor can make decisions that can save their patients’ lives.
To learn more about the Northwest cath lab, or if you would like a physician referral, contact Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-4-HCA-DOCS, or visit Northwest Medical Center online.
Nobody expects to have a heart attack. However, many people are walking around unaware of the fact that they have certain health conditions and/or lifestyle habits putting them at increased risk for cardiac problems.
One important step you can take to help prevent a heart attack is to undergo a screening at Northwest Medical Center. While the conditions putting people at risk do not have symptoms, they can be identified and treated if they are discovered early.
Problems don’t occur overnight
Many people who suffer heart attacks have coronary artery disease (CAD), which takes years to develop. CAD occurs when fatty material called plaque builds in the arteries that deliver blood to the heart. If a blood clot occurs in one of these clogged arteries, blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle can be restricted, causing pain and fatigue; or completely stopped, causing the heart to fail.
Other conditions associated with heart attack include:
- Peripheral artery disease or PAD, which is similar to CAD and makes a person four times more likely to have a heart attack
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- High cholesterol
- Family history of heart attack
Ways to screen
Several methods are used to determine a person’s risk of a heart attack. Most are non-invasive and fairly quick, like the tests for blood pressure and PAD.
Screening for CAD can be done via stress test, in which the patient’s heart rate is measured while exercising on a treadmill; or simulating physical stress via medications, if the person is unable to exercise.
Computerized tomography, or CT scan, is especially useful in detecting CAD in younger patients, because the scan picks up calcium in arterial blockages, which is far less common in children or young adults than in the elderly.
Cutting-edge techniques
Northwest Medical Center Cardiac Services uses the latest technology to diagnose and treat heart conditions. This includes Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, or PCI; and minimally-invasive cardiac catheterization, both of which can be performed here 24 hours a day.
Genetic testing has made tremendous strides in the decade since the human genome was decoded. Genes and gene mutations have been linked with a higher risk for diabetes and colon cancer, among other health issues.
While a genetic link to heart disease has yet to be found, scientists continue to gather new ammunition in the battle against it. For example, researchers say, young migraine suffers who are abused have a better chance of developing cardiovascular disease.
On the legislative front, new consumer protections recently announced by the White House will help ensure affordable care for heart disease and stroke patients, according to the American Heart Association. Insurers may no longer set insurance coverage caps; or cancel coverage when illness strikes.
If you have questions about heart disease risk factors, or need a physician referral, contact Consult-A-Nurse® at 1-866-4-HCA-DOCS, or visit Northwest Medical Center online.